Supreme Court dismisses special voting lawsuit

• Posted on November 14, 2016November 14, 2016
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

The Supreme Court has dismissed the lawsuit seeking an order to compel the Electoral Commission (EC) to announce results of the Special Voting at the close of voting. According to the Supreme Court justices the reliefs being sought by the plaintiffs were inconsistent with the 1992 Constitution. The Justices also indicated that the end of the special voting could not be described as a close of polls hence the ballots cannot be counted.

Dr. Kwame Amoako-Tuffuor, a member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) went to the apex court seeking  an order to compel the Commission to announce results of special voting on the same day it was held. The trio which included Benjamin Arthur and Adreba Abrefa Damoa had argued that section 23 of C.I. 94, of the law which regulates the conduct of the 2016 general elections, is inconsistent with Article 49 of the 1992 constitution. The applicants insisted that people who want to take part in the special voting should not be  made to wait until the total results on actual polling were to be declared and that the results should be declared immediately after the polls have closed.

Special voting slated for December 1 Meanwhile, about 65,000 voters comprising security operatives and the media are expected to cast their ballot in this year’s special voting on December 1, 2016. The special voting on that day will start at 7:00am and end at 5:00pm at designated polling stations across the country

-Citifmonline